Most should be aware of my admiration for all-star melodic rockers Alliance. The pitch perfect AOR vocals of Robert Berry are always welcome, but when he teams with David Lauser (Sammy Hagar) and class guitarist Gary Pihl (Boston, Sammy Hagar), there’s no stopping the flow of intelligent, well-crafted and challenging melodic rock music. Fire And Grace is no different.

Although a little rougher around the edges this time around, the album (minus past member Alan Fitzgerald) delivers the same classic sounding album you might expect. Berry provides all keyboard parts this time. While the album is melodic rock and AOR with a prog twist at its best and harkens back to a simpler era of the early 80s, the sound isn’t dated – its just classic. There are some stupidly good songs here.

The driving opener Don’t Stop The Wheel Turning; the feel good anthemic 80s buzz of Good Life and the epic, mood driven dramatic ballad Uncertain all give the album a flying start. Elsewhere the rhythmic free flowing Fire And Grace; hands in the air Raise Your Glass and the AOR perfection of Reason To Walk Away are all standouts amongst an album lacking any sign of filler.

Alliance have delivered one of the best AOR albums of the year so far, with track after track of engaging, intelligent songwriting here. No Alliance album has ever been a one-play and understand affair. They require a little effort and a little time, with the listening richly rewarded with layers upon layers of musical melody and brilliance. (93%)

Not many words needed to sum up a new Shakra release. The Swiss hard rockers don't stray from their long established AC/DC-esque template - the only points up for debate are song and production quality.

It's hard to believe just how long the band has been around now, its quite the accomplishment.

Nothing to complain about here for long time fans and newcomers alike. A big hard and heavy sounding record with an enjoyable set of songs. I suspect I'm preaching to the choir here.

Such is the love of Mr. Big in Japan, that in the absence of new material, the label must conjure up a fill-in release. Given that the recording history of the band going forward is under a very big cloud, I'm not sure what the labels will do. Surely with the Big Box, the band's archives and live tapes have been well and truly tapped out.

On 'Songs 2010-2017', the label covers material from the band's post-reunion era - taking a selction of songs from the trio of albums What If… (2010), …The Stories We Could Tell (2014) and Defying Gravity (2017).

Nothing really there for the die-hards, but the limited edition version of this compilation comes with a bonus live CD, taking the 16 studio cuts from the A-disc and replicating them in a live format.

That's obviously a more appealing premise, but here's where the bad news arrives. The cuts are "official bootleg" quality at best. This is going to be for real die-hards only. Coming from various sources and hell-bent on matching the A-disc sequence, the live versions are wildly differing in quality, from below average to barely listenable.

Another one for the die-hard Mr. Big collector (that's me), and while it is cool to get a snapshot of the band's live gigs in Japan over this time, its not a disc you are going to crank to soak up the best of these awesome musicians.

Its a shame this and the 2018 'Live In Milan' release are both struck by such poor live sound. The band (and the fans) deserve better.

Swedish melodic rock outfit Wildness are back with their second album, now featuring the very versatile lead vocals of Erik Forsberg. The band go back and forth between styles - Erik going higher on several songs but a more powerful lower pitch on others. All with equal effect thanks to some strong songwriting and a traditional 80s, keyboard friendly style, that has a good strong current production (and a big drum sound too) thanks to the band’s drummer/producer Erik Modin and Erik Wigelius' magnificent mix and master.

This is a nice mix of old meets new, with a classic Scandi-AOR feel. Sometimes you don’t need a lot of words to describe the package and that’s the case here. There’s an abundance of sharp guitar solos and keyboard swirls and the tempo is fairly fast moving.

A couple of the moodier tracks veer off closer to symphonic territory, such is their epicness. It adds a fresh dimension to the album.

Ultimate Demise might sound a bit dramatic for a record titles of this kind, but it certainly delivers for fans of this genre and the more traditional elements of it. Great stuff.

This could be the most pointless review ever written.

Rabid Yngwie fans will no doubt agree. But for the rest of you, I will explain.

Yngwie is Yngwie. An no amount of words with stop Yngwie being Yngwie. So why bother?

Yngwie is a one man show – he does everything himself. He takes no advice, believes his own self-written press releases, has an ego the size of the empty Marshall stacks he ridiculously piles up on stage and is basically a self-declared shred icon.

So, any review of an Yngwie album that doesn’t tug on the girth of his titanic ego will be met with derision. I’ve read a couple of good reviews for this album, which makes me wonder if the audio for those was heard via a shortwave radio transmission to the mountains of Uzbekistan, as there is no sane rationale for anyone to hear this and not think that it sounds like a big sonic turd.

The drum sound alone is worthy of instant rejection by normally functioning ears. It sounds like they lowered a kit into a medieval mud-filled well and recorded whatever was able to be played with a RadioShack microphone from the top.

Yngwie’s vocals are as warm as a used tray of kitty litter and the shredding is so intent on the one purpose of million-degree shredding, that the album cover itself began to melt.

In his desire to be seen as a faultless guitar-bass-drum-vocal-production-mixer-engineer-cello-everything-god, he makes the same mistake for the forth album in a row. There is no self-awareness in play here. Yngwie can play – I have every album from his first decade – but he can’t and shouldn’t do it all.

Hire a producer, hire a drummer, hire a bassist, hire a vocalist, hire ANYONE that will actually work with you. And work together on something that doesn’t sound like it was recorded by a self-obsessed raving lunatic.

Like I said. It’s all pointless. Almost like the score for this album.

The second Joel Hoekstra’s 13 album does everything a sophomore album is supposed to do. It has improved upon every aspect of the debut, which itself was already a great record. But this is even better and the pleasing aspect is it delivers improvements in all departments.

Better production, better songs, better guitar work, all delivered in a more cohesive package.

The band featured on Running Games is sensational. The great Russell Allen is the only featured vocalist, which gives the record that band feel, more so than the guest vocalists scattered across the debut. Joining in the fun is Tony Franklin (bass), Vinny Appice (drums), and Derek Sherinian (keyboards). Jeff Scott Soto lends a helping hand with background vocals.

Running Games is a heavier record, yet more melodic and more accessible thanks to some very commercial songs and Russell Allen’s perfectly attuned vocals.

To say Joel is an accomplished guitarist is an understatement, but it is still nice to hear him doing exactly what he wants in his own project, writing music and lyrics and controlling every aspect of the sound. It is clearly a labor of love, as we all know the label wouldn’t be covering all costs involved.

So Joel should be very proud of the results. There’s a nice balance between the heavy and the melody and between the pace of various tracks. 13 tracks and over an hour of music flies by in no time at all as the flow is never allowed to drag at any point.

A top class hard rock record that will further entrench Joel as one of the scene’s most respectable and reliable musicians.

No need for any introduction to Neal Schon. The guitar legend delivered his long awaited new solo album late last year and has been almost universally praised and appreciated.

So I will simply add to the chorus of platitudes that this wonderful piece of work has already been laiden with.

One of Neal's most expressive solo instrumental albums to date, the 15 track/70 minute record touches a myriad of emotions and musical styles, all under the direction of producer/multi-instrumentalist and songwriter (plus new Journey drummer) Narada Michael Walden.

The album sounds a million bucks and is one of those types of records that you can just hear all the time and effort that's gone into it. Smooth, sultry, rocking and complex. Love it!

Synth-wave AOR outfit Magic Dance quickly established themselves as a leader in the retro-genre, but for their newest album, the band has updated their sound to a more contemporary modern rock production and song style.

There are still waves of synth and more keyboards than a Yamaha outlet store, and while the change is subtle, it definitely heralds a different approach.

The vocal style remains in place as do the lush keyboards, but the direction chosen has changed the way the songs are structured, and the band has lost some of their unique 80s sound in an attempt to reach a wider audience.

The song writing is not nearly as catchy or unique and I’m hearing strong hints of modern melodic rockers Anberlin in amongst this album.

That all said, this is still a very enjoyable romp, with a distinct sound driving the largely uptempo album. I’m just struggling to identify individual songs and if given the choice, would rather the sound of the past.

One of my main objectives of running MR over the years is to give a voice to independent artists who otherwise might fly under the radar of potential fans.

Seven Ravens is a self-funded, self-recorded, self-released album featuring guitarist/producer James LePack and songwriter/producer Scott Bazzett – the very definition of an indie release, but one that demands your attention.

No expense has been spared on this record, with powerhouse vocalist Michael Bormann hired to sing, Matt Starr is on drums, the album was mixed by Pete Newdeck and mastered by Harry Hess. Also on board is the always brilliant Tony Franklin on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums.

Over the years I have seen names brought into a project to cover up inadequacies within, but the sum of all the names involved here only enhances what is already a monster base.

This is a big sounding hard rock record, in the traditional American sense, Bormann singing like the legend he is, but the album is founded on a huge guitar sound and a really tough production, putting it into the quality of material a major artist might be proud of.

The songs aren’t necessarily instant, but they are there, and repeated listens uncover those layers and melodies and also unlock so much more riffing!

This is a record for fans of classic Dokken and heavier Jaded Heart, with all bases covered as far as production, mix and even packaging. It’s a class release from top to bottom.

https://www.rathole.com/7RAVENS/

The two new solo albums from Toto’s Joseph Williams and Steve Lukather were signed in tandem, released in tandem, but recorded in completely opposing ways. Putting the two together showcases two very different sides of the Toto musical spectrum and being solo albums, it lets the listener sink into those individual realms a little longer than on an normal band record where you get a more filtered view. Luke has gone on record saying playing parts of the two records on shuffle would give fans a new Toto record and he’s not far off that truth.

Given that Joseph and Luke make multiple appearances on each other’s records as do fellow Toto alumni, it’s a neat crossover and a double dose of songs for Toto fans.

However, the two records could not be more diametrically opposed.

Toto vocalist Joseph Williams’ new album Denizen Tenant is everything Lukather’s album is not. It was carefully and meticulously produced over several months, with the production so sharp, there isn’t one note out of place.

It’s a well-crafted record that features some sublime arrangements and is every bit as polished as a full Toto release. With appearances across the record from Lukather, David Paich, Simon Phillips, Leland Sklar, Lenny Castro, Nathan East and Mike Landau alongside percussionist Lenny Castro.

Opening with a song that could easily have come from either of Toto’s two recent albums with Williams, the lush and sultry Never Saw You Coming is pure mature Westcoast/AOR which leads into the brighter Liberty Man, which is as Toto as you can get.

The title track is pure westcoast/jazz/pop and layered with vocals and rich instrumentation. It’s everything fans love about Joseph Williams throughout his career and if that song doesn’t get you, then the out of the box Wilma Fingadoux will.

Another highlight is the Steve Lukather driven Remember Her, layers deep in keyboards, guitars and percussion.

A couple of dreamy, somewhat eclectic tracks follow before another Lukather guest spot on the simple two-and-a-half-minute pop song If I Fell.

The more lengthy World Broken closes the album in a similar fashion to how it started. Rich, textured and lush melodic rock with a touch of Westcoast AOR and Williams providing another world class vocal.

And there you have it. One loose, raw and live record paired with a highly structured, methodical production piece. Both records have unique personalities and distinct characteristics but also intrinsic crossed-over musical alliances and both work equally well in their own right and shuffled together. It is a unique situation and I hope fans embrace both records for what they are.

I’m equally comfortable playing one individually and the other the following day, but also back to back for two glorious hours of perfectly executed musical genius.

Both albums may be best enjoyed at different times and for different moods, and depending on tastes, on different levels. But the talent behind both is clearly evident.

Sweden’s Reach have straddled the line between classic rock and modern melodic rock for their first two records, but album number 3 sees them go completely overboard…or completely AWOL. Take your pick.

Gone are any anchors to the traditional melodic rock sound, with the band fully embracing modern experimental rock, with touches of electronic rock (Muse), pop (Coldplay) and falsetto rock (The Darkness). Add in the most flamboyant aspects of Queen’s experimentation with pomp-rock and some 70s symphonic ELO and you might get some idea of what’s going on here.

I have tried and tried and tried again with this album, but its not for me. And I think for those that followed the band as they trod a similar path as One Desire, Palace, Wildness and the like will probably find this album too ‘out there’ to appreciate.

There are some lush orchestral parts to the album, almost symphonic in the elaborate production and the layers of programming included. To the perfect audience, it is a really well-made record.

The guys have made a clear determination of their musical path with this record and it’s not 80s rock. For that reason, they might find themselves picking up a completely new fanbase – ones with an appreciation of modern commercial alt-rock and retro rock acts like Cats In Space. I’m not sure how many fans of the first two records will follow them into their third.

You have to admire the lads for their bold musical exploration here. But they aren’t The Darkness or Muse and I was personally thankful for that.

Their bio now describes themselves as an alternative rock band. Fair play to the guys, but I’m not a fan of alternative rock.

I can’t recall the last time I heard a single album so packed with obviously over the top 80s melodic rock anthems. The songs, the production come from Crazy Lixx frontman and key songwriter Danny Rexon and the heavenly vocals come from Chez Kane, the British sensation who wasn’t even born before the glory days of hard rock were fading.

Through her group Kane’d and some attention-grabbing YouTube covers, she was a star on the rise until the inspired pairing with Rexon hit paydirt.

This is a powerhouse album is a throwback to the mid-late 80s where Def Leppard, Winger and Vixen all ruled their airwaves. And taking inspiration from the latter, this album sounds like a natural successor to the amazing Vixen album Rev It Up.

This is 47 minutes unadulterated, hands in the air fun. There’s no attempt here to reinvent the wheel, rather it is a vehicle to steer those wheels right back in time.

To say that Chez Kane can sing is to say yes, Eddie Van Halen can play guitar. I’m a big fan of bands pushing this genre forward and have championed many of the bands that do so. But sometimes you like and need to dive back into the favourites amongst your collection. With this album you can jump back without leaving 2021.

This album is everything that we loved about the stadium rock of the 80s, with all the energy of a big production and a healthy dose of keyboards and guitars, plus a thumping rhythm section.

Great fun songs with big choruses, harmony vocals and some inspired vocal melodies makes this a true 80s album without sounding like it was trying to be an 80s record. It just is, and credit should go to all.

If there was to be one essential female fronted album this year, then here it is folks. Utterly essential!